Description
Mini Poached Pear Cardamom Cakes are delicate spiced cakes infused with warm cardamom and cinnamon, topped with tender wine-poached pears and a luscious maple cream sauce. Perfect for an elegant dessert that blends subtle spice, fruity sweetness, and creamy textures.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 75 grams unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 70 grams whole milk (room temperature)
- 170 grams all purpose flour (10.5-11% protein)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 100 grams eggs (room temperature)
- 220 grams dark brown sugar (packed)
Pear Poaching Ingredients
- 3 Bosch pears (ripe, peeled with stems intact)
- 250 grams water
- 750 grams dry white wine
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
Maple Cream Sauce Ingredients
- 226 grams full fat cream cheese (room temperature)
- 63 grams maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 120 grams powdered sugar
- 60 grams whole milk
- Pinch cinnamon and nutmeg (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Pans: Preheat your oven to 350℉ (180℃). Prepare three 4-inch cake pans by spraying them with baking spray and lining their bottoms with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Melt Butter and Mix Milk: In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, stir in the milk and set aside for later use.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, ground cardamom, and ground cinnamon until well combined. Set this mixture aside.
- Whip Eggs and Sugar: Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs and dark brown sugar together until the mixture is thick and frothy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Mix Batter: Pour the frothy egg and sugar mixture into the dry flour mixture. Stir until fully combined with no visible flour streaks. Then add the milk and melted butter mixture and whisk by hand until the batter is smooth.
- Fill Cake Pans and Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Place the pans on a rimmed baking pan for stability and bake on the center oven rack for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cakes: Remove the baking pan from the oven and transfer the individual cake pans onto a wire rack. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Then invert each pan to remove the cakes and set them onto serving dishes.
- Prepare Pears for Poaching: Peel the pears carefully, leaving their stems intact to maintain shape and appearance.
- Simmer Poaching Liquid: In a medium deep pot, combine water, dry white wine, and granulated sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the liquid begins to simmer.
- Poach Pears: Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and add the cinnamon sticks and pears. Let them poach for 35-40 minutes until the pears are tender but not mushy.
- Remove Pears: Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the pears from the poaching liquid and set them stem-side up on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess liquid.
- Make Maple Cream Sauce: In a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment or a medium bowl with handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and maple syrup on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add Powdered Sugar: Gradually mix in powdered sugar in two halves until the mixture reaches a thick frosting-like consistency.
- Adjust Sauce Consistency: Pour in the whole milk and mix again on medium-low speed until the sauce becomes creamy and pourable. Add more powdered sugar if you prefer a thicker sauce.
- Prepare Cakes for Assembly: Using a 1.5-inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut a shallow circle (about ¼ to ½ inch deep) from the center tops of each cake, removing enough cake to comfortably nest a poached pear.
- Assemble Dessert: Place each cake with the center hole on serving plates. Gently set a poached pear onto the hollowed center of each cake.
- Finish with Sauce and Spices: Pour the maple cream sauce over the pears on the cakes. Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for added aroma and flavor. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use ripe but firm Bosch pears to ensure they hold shape during poaching.
- Make sure butter is fully cooled before mixing with milk to prevent curdling the batter.
- For a thinner cream sauce consistency, add a little more milk gradually.
- The cakes can be baked a day ahead and assembled just before serving.
- To make a dairy-free version, substitute butter with a vegan alternative and the cream cheese with a plant-based cream cheese.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: European
